Considering Sprint for new phone
 

Hi all,

In the next few weeks I'll be getting new phone service. I'm considering Sprint, as it's $30+ cheaper than Verizon's monthly service for what I want. And unlimited data.

I'm pretty much set on the Galaxy SIII.

But I'm worried about coverage. I spend a lot of time in KS. Central KS and North Central KS near NE. Any Sprint users that could comment about coverage in those areas? Are you overall happy with your coverage? Roaming issues?

Any comment on Sprint is welcome.

Thanks!

I heard its better in KC, but Sprint's internet in most of the country is unbearably slow. They brag about having the only truly unlimited data plan, but the reason its unlimited is because its so slow you couldn't use a lot if you tried. I hacked my Note 2 to force it to run on Verizon's network...that's how bad it is.

Just FYI if you didn't know, the s4 is being announced in around a week. So you might want to wait for that launch or make sure you get a nice discount on the s3

S3 is currently $99 going through Sprint. Another factor that makes me lean toward Sprint.

Here in Texas, Sprint's data speeds kick all ass and coverage is fantastic. (I can vouch for all over DFW and Austin to San Antonio.. hell, pretty much the entire I-35 corridor except for Hillsboro is top notch in regards to Sprint)

Very good point. AND the s4 is rumored to have some pretty incredible new features.. possibly unbreakable screen, and EYE TRACKING that will auto scroll as you read and pause videos when you look away.

Sprint is very good in Topeka.

Its probably ok in bigger markets, but most everywhere else its ridiculously slow. Just google Sprint data speeds. There are hundreds of thousands if not millions of complaints about their shitty data service. I live in a city of 160k + and waiting for this site and any other site to refresh is like being on dialup.

EDIT: Here you go. http://www.pcworld.com/article/25488...d_verizon.html

http://images.pcworld.com/images/art...3-11348491.jpg

lol @ TM's average 3G faster than Sprint's average 4G

I am using a LG Venice on boost . My bill goes down $5 a month next month. They have a nice unlimited plan. But it's on Sprint in the end, and the data speeds do vary greatly.

RUN FAR AWAY from Sprint

That well could be true that it is highly regional. I know that Texas (for whatever reason) is a high priority for them and always gets the latest greatest network upgrades.

I like Sprint but they're too damned expensive. With 90% of my time spent in range of a Wireless Access Point, I should definitely get something that's pay-as-you-go. I wish I could compare the speed with you but I've only ever had them since I've had a smartphone. I'm not in the habit of having download races with friends.

I am in a fairly small town area in Illinois right now. All the services have the same problems here. I used my old Optimus to hotspot internet here. Sometimes it was brilliant, would run torrent clients at a nice speed, could watch entire concert videos without a glitch. I suppose I was an abusive user in all honesty. Unlimited isn't unlimited anymore. I honestly find that phones don't even run that great on good wifi, but that is just my opinion I guess. Sprint isn't any worse than the other companies here, they all suck. Haha

I agree with the prepaid thing, it's all I have done for several years. Same speed and all that. Just buy a decent phone, use it for however long you like it, end up at worst with a nice MP3 player and wifi browser.

I'm about one year into my contract, but I've decided I'll never sign one again. For now on I'll just do unlocked GSM, and buy a sim card from somewhere.


I'm still holding out hope that someone will come forward and start a data only plan to compete with the carriers. I use more Skype, Facebook, Viber, Google, and WhatsAPP these days than cellular calls and text messages. Legacy plans are shit.

Compared to prepaid, yes. Compared to contract carriers they are the cheapest...but you get what you pay for.

I've had Sprint for a decade, though it's been primarily because I've been on their cheap SERO plans that entire time. The service is fine, though it's not very fast here in Denver at least. We're not even on the list of areas to get 4G any time soon. If I weren't so much of a cheap bastard about it, I'd probably bail.

Yeah, that's where I'm at. The price is definitely the selling point for me. I can live with slow download speeds, as I rarely rely on downloading much to my phone. I'm more worried about lack of connection and roaming issues.

I had Spring early in my cell phone life. Worst customer service ever, and I would drop calls in my basement. Vowed never to return, which sucks as they are a "staple" KC company.

It's been upwards of ten years since my move to Verizon, and I haven't been happier. Good luck if you pull the trigger. Surely by now they've figured something out.

This. Sprint is cheap, but nothing worked if I left Omaha. Their customer service is as bad as it gets. I happily paid $150 to get out of my contract with them & move to Verizon. Verizon costs more, but they are worth it.

Side note: I have no idea how Verizon's customer service is. I've never had to call them.

I have dropped calls in Houston all the time. Corporate (which is here in Houston) went with Sprint so I had to switch. It's been about a year. There's heavy talk of switching back to Verizon within the year.

Verizon has everything I want. But would be ~$30 more per month and an extra $100 for the Galaxy S3 compared to Sprint.

I don't use my phone that often. I hate hate hate talking on the phone. And most browsing and web stuff I do in locations with wifi.

I wish I could demo the phone and service for a week or two before signing a contract. That would be nice....

I like to use GPS a lot when I travel. It was worthless with Sprint. I don't care how cheap their shit service is. Even if their plans were only $5/month, it's not worth it if it doesn't work when I need it. ****, I hate Sprint.

If you end up going with Sprint and you're unhappy with the service, I'm pretty sure you have 30 days to back out. You still have to pay the activation fee though.

Thanks everybody.

Considering this thread, and the opinions of some friends currently on Sprint, I've decided against it. Too many complaints of missed calls and texts, horrible coverage, and slow speeds.

I've decide to get a Galaxy SIII and go with Verizon. I'll be getting a decent stipend from work for a personal phone, so I can overlook the considerable price difference.

I appreciate the input.

we ditched our smartphones and went to regular ones to save some money. now, I'm on an electronic leash and get $75/mo towards my bill from work. we re-activated them, and man, I can't believe how much I missed it.

Though, I was hoping to get a new phone, but I'm about a year out until then.

These prices will collapse in days. If that's what you want to do, fine. But know you're being Verizon's best friend here: signing a contract, clearing out inventory, and overpaying for an old phone.

Is there any reason you can't wait a month?

I have that current arrangement. Verizon is a fantastic provider. Best of the big three easily.

Yes. My current phone will soon be disconnected and I have to have a working phone for my job responsibilities. I'm hoping the s4 will be out soon so the s3 will drop in price but it has to happen next week.

Go to Walmart and buy a cheap prepaid phone to hold you over. Then you'll have a backup with minutes already on it for emergencies should something happen to your phone. For the S4 it would be worth it.

That sounds like a pain in the ass. And I'm not wild about paying for the S4 when it's brand spankin new. The S3 will do me just fine and it's already priced at 1/3 the cost of what the S4 will be.

Ah, rough timing. As long as you've prepared yourself to see it drop $100 right after you buy it... ;)

Yeah.... I'm being forced into this for sure. My current phone gets shut off May 1st. S4 is scheduled for release at the end of April. But the paperwork bullshit I need to do to port my number from my employer's account to my own personal account takes a while to process, and they're urging me to do it ASAP. I'm bound to get ****ed by the timing....

My only hope is that pricing comes out before the scheduled release date and the S3 drops in price before then. Doubt it though...

Well like someone mentioned earlier, you could find/buy a cheap phone and port your number to that on a prepaid plan. That way you're getting the annoying transfer shit out of the way, but give yourself time before locking into a contract. Then you could decide between the new s4 or a cheaper sIII (or even something like the HTC one).

But that's just me. It'd hurt me too much to do what you're doing.

Agreed. You can go get a $25 phone and a $20 prepaid card, and have your number switched to it in less than an hour. Then once the S4 launches go to Verizon and have it ported to that one.

I'm using it right now. Downtown its like WiFi. 10 min away its like dial up.
It sucks.

I appreciate the ideas guys. But the problem is that I don't own my current phone number. My employer does. And I'm unable to port my number without their direct involvement. They won't release the account info and pin and stuff I need to port the number, because of security reasons. And they won't allow me to port my number to a cheap temporary phone. In order to port my number over, the phone I get and the plan I get have to meet a certain set of requirements. It must be a smart phone capable of just about everything. Which rules out a cheap temporary phone.

But I got good news yesterday that will hopefully help matters greatly. They screwed up some of the paperwork, and have now put a delay on the shutoff date. So it looks like I'll be able to hang on to my current one until after the S4 is released.

I think this might work out after all...

Thanks again everybody.

I've got Sprint and it's been great for me.

I found out I'm getting a $75/month stipend for phone coverage. Plus a 15% discount on service with any of the major carriers. So even with Verizon's plan including everything I want, I'm going to end up paying less than $20/month for my phone. So Sprint can suck it. I might as well have good coverage for no more than it will cost me.

its great in kc area

Get virgin mobile. It is sprint service for half the price or even less.

Uses the sprint towers